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Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did Orlando City’s players do individually in their 2-0 win over Toronto FC?

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3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City ended the 2023 MLS regular season with a 2-0 win away to Toronto FC. Oscar Pareja made several changes to the team, providing rest for some regular starters. But the Lions took over when he brought on Duncan McGuire, who netted a brace in his 29 minutes on the field. The team ends the season with a club-record 63 points, just six behind FC Cincinnati for the Supporters Shield.

Here’s how I saw the individual performances for the Lions in this win.

Starters

GK, Mason Stajduhar, 7 — With Pedro Gallese returning from international duty, Stajduhar got his first start since June 21. There wasn’t a lot to do for the backup goalkeeper, but he did well to earn a clean sheet. His most memorable moment was in the 59th minute, when he jumped off his line to beat Cristian Gutierrez to the ball, keeping the game scoreless. He faced three shots, saving all of them, punched one shot away, and assisted on McGuire’s opening goal.

D, Luca Petrasso, 5.5 — Petrasso got the start over Rafael Santos and recorded two tackles, one interception, and one block defensively. In the attack, the left back completed 74.4% of his 39 passes, none of his three long balls, and had one incomplete cross. His 52 touches were far more than Michael Halliday on the other side, and he was dispossessed once in 70 minutes before being replaced by Kyle Smith.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel started his 11th consecutive game and was sturdy for most of it. He had a scary moment in the 28th minute when he whiffed on a cross, but wasn’t punished. His 57 touches on the night tied for second on the team. He had one tackle, two interceptions, two clearances, and one blocked shot defensively, completed 91.5% of his 47 passes, and completed one of his four long balls before being replaced by Robin Jansson in the 78th minute.

D, Antonio Carlos, 7 — If not for McGuire’s second-half brace, Carlos would’ve been Man of the Match. The center back was excellent in his first start since Aug. 2, with three interceptions, one clearance, and one block, and he was often involved with 57 touches. In the 52nd minute, his quick movement caught Prince Osei Owusu offside and his sliding block in the 62nd minute kept Toronto from scoring. Going forward, Carlos completed 87.8% of his 49 passes and five of his eight long balls. He also recorded a shot on a header, but it was right to Sean Johnson.

D, Mikey Halliday, 5.5 — Halliday started at right back and had only 37 touches, 15 fewer than Petrasso. He completed 70.8% of his 24 passes and didn’t connect on his two crosses, but found teammates on two of his three long balls. Defensively, Halliday recorded one tackle and four clearances in 90 minutes.

MF, Felipe, 6 — Felipe got the start in place of Wilder Cartagena, who was away with Peru on international duty this week. The Brazilian recorded 46 touches, completed 92.1% of his 38 passes, and connected on four of his five long balls. He won two tackles on defense and took one shot that was blocked in front. It was a solid night for the midfielder before he was replaced by Mauricio Pereyra in the 61st minute.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — It was a typical solid night for Araujo, who was active with a team-high 60 touches. Defensively, he recorded three tackles, two interceptions, and a clearance. His passing wasn’t as accurate as Orlando City fans have become accustomed to, completing 80.4% of his 46 attempts and three of his eight long balls. But he wasn’t dispossessed in the game, maintaining possession in the center of the field.

MF, Gaston Gonzalez, 5 — Gonzalez started the game instead of Ivan Angulo, playing 61 minutes before being replaced by the regular starter. However, while Angulo is often involved in play, Gonzalez only had 26 touches. He completed 77.8% of only nine passes, one of two crosses, and neither of his two long balls. He also contributed defensively, recording one tackle, two interceptions, and a clearance.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — In a Designated Player swap, Ojeda started in place of Facundo Torres for this game. He did well in his 90 minutes, completing 73.9% of his 23 passes, and a team-high two key passes. He connected on his lone cross and on three of his six long balls. He took one shot, but it was blocked. Defensively, Ojeda added one tackle and a team-high four interceptions.

MF, Junior Urso, 5.5 — Junior Urso got his second start since rejoining Orlando City earlier this season. He had 41 touches, completed 80% of his 30 passes, and was 0-for-2 on long balls. He had one tackle defensively and won an aerial duel, but did little else in his 90 minutes.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 5.5 — Enrique got the start up top as McGuire returned from competing with the U.S. U-23 National Team. The Argentine attacker wasn’t very involved in play, only recording 14 touches in 61 minutes. He completed 57.1% of his seven passes and his only long ball. However, he didn’t take any shots in just over half an hour on the field. Probably his most surprising statistic was winning a team-high four aerial duels despite being one of the smallest players on the field.

Substitutes

MF, Ivan Angulo (61’), 5.5 — Angulo was one of the three subs Pareja made in the 61st minute that changed the game. However, he didn’t make much of an impact in this one, only touching the ball 12 times. He completed all of his seven passes, but didn’t connect on his one cross attempt.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra (61’), 6 — While Pereyra’s 19 touches weren’t much more than Angulo’s, he was more involved in play. He completed 82.4% of his 17 passes, but didn’t connect on his one long ball. He also won one aerial duel on the night.

F, Duncan McGuire (61’), 8 (MotM) — McGuire entered the game for Enrique in the 61st minute and completely took over. He used two excellent touches in the 63rd minute to turn Michael Bradley and sent a rocket past Johnson to open the scoring. He then put the game away in the 74th minute when Kyle Smith sent him behind the Toronto back line. The striker only had eight touches, but did about as much as you possibly could with them. He converted 75% of his four passes and scored a brace on his only two shots. It was a remarkable performance in only 29 minutes.

D, Kyle Smith (70’), 6.5 — Smith replaced Petrasso in the 70th minute and, like McGuire, made the most of his time on the field. The defender recorded two tackles and an interception, but it was the attack where he was most effective. He completed 86.7% of his 15 passes and sent a beautiful ball behind the back line in the 74th minute, putting McGuire on goal and sealing the game.

D, Robin Jansson (78’), 6 — Coming on for Schlegel in the 78th minute to help see out the game, Jansson did his job well. The center back recorded two clearances, completed seven of his 10 passes, and connected on one of his two long balls.

That’s how I saw the Orlando City players in a great way to end the 2023 regular season. They’ll now take this momentum into the playoffs, where they’ll face Nashville SC. Let me know how you saw this game and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links: 7/20/26

Pride fall to Utah Royals, OCB draws Chattanooga FC, Orlando City signs Clovis Archange, and more.

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23 hours ago

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July 20, 2026

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Image of Pedro Leao taking a penalty against Carolina Core FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work, but I checked out a Noah Kahan concert and watched the World Cup final while catching up with friends over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Fall at Utah Royals

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to the Utah Royals at America First Field Saturday night. Narumi Miura scored the lone goal for Utah to secure the win, while the Pride have lost back-to-back matches after losing to Boston Legacy Wednesday. That result also dropped Orlando below the playoff line, as the club sits ninth in the NWSL table with 20 points. The Pride will return home for their next match against the Chicago Stars Friday at Inter&Co Stadium.

OCB Wins Penalty Shootout After 1-1 Draw vs. Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B drew Chattanooga FC 1-1 on the road at Finley Stadium Saturday. Pedro Leao scored the opener for the Young Lions in the first half. However, in the second half, Chattanooga FC scored the equalizer. The Young Lions won the penalty shootout 4-3 to earn a second point. OCB will be back in action at home Sunday, facing Huntsville City FC at Osceola County Stadium.

Orlando City Signs Clovis Archange to Homegrown Player Contract

Orlando City announced Friday that the club has signed defender Clovis Archange to a Homegrown Player contract with the first team. The deal is a three-year contract lasting through the 2027 calendar year, with club options in 2028 and 2029. Archange has made six appearances across all competitions for OCB during the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season.

Latest MLS Transfer Roundup

According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic, there is no movement on the rumored Orlando City forward Marco Pasalic’s potential transfer to Hull City, but the English Premier League side has reportedly inquired about a loan deal.

The Columbus Crew have signed former Manchester United and Real Oviedo center back Eric Bailly. The contract runs through June 2027, with club options for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons. Liga MX side CF Monterrey is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Chicago Fire forward Hugo Cuypers.

LAFC has reportedly reached an agreement with Hammarby on a transfer fee to move midfielder Amin Boudri to the Swedish club. Lastly, San Diego FC is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign winger Elias Achouri from FC Copenhagen.

🇹🇳 Sources: San Diego FC is finalizing a deal to sign Tunisia int'l winger Elias Achouri from FC Copenhagen.Achouri, 27, joins San Diego as a Designated Player. He had 5g/7a in 2,368 mins (37 apps) last year & played in all 3 games for Tunisia at the World Cup

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-18T16:37:04.314Z

Spain Wins World Cup

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, Sunday to win the World Cup for the second time since 2010. Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off in stoppage time after committing a foul on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi. The match went to extra time, and Ferran Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in the 106th minute. Argentina was unable to find a late equalizer to send the match to penalties. Argentina was looking to repeat as champions but had only two shots in the game (both in extra time) and failed to record a shot on goal. As for the FIFA World Cup awards, Spain midfielder Rodri took the Best Player Award, while France striker Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot Award with 10 goals, the Golden Glove Award went to Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon, and Cubarsi won the Young Player Award.

Free Kicks

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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Orlando City

Daryl Dike Returns to Orlando City, Signs Deal Through 2027

Daryl Dike is back with the Lions after being out of contract with West Bromwich Albion.

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3 days ago

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July 17, 2026

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Image of Daryl Dike posing in his Orlando City kit after re-signing with the club on July 17, 2026.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Striker Daryl Dike has returned to the club that gave him his professional start. Orlando City announced today that it has signed Dike as a free agent through the 2027 MLS “sprint season” with an option for 2027-2028. The club also had to send $75,000 in 2027 General Allocation Money (GAM) to the Seattle Sounders in exchange for Dike’s Discovery Priority and could owe the Western Conference side another $75,000 in GAM if Dike meets undisclosed performance metrics.

The signing gives Dike a new start after an injury-plagued career at West Bromwich Albion.

“Daryl is a player our club and our fans know well, and we’re very excited to welcome him back to Orlando,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “He brings a powerful combination of strength, speed, and physical presence, and his ability to hold up play, bring teammates into the attack, and finish chances gives us another important option up front. Daryl has already shown what he can do in our league and in this city, and we look forward to helping him make an impact again in purple.” 

Dike, who will wear No. 9 for the Lions, returns nearly five years since Orlando City sold him to West Brom on Jan. 3, 2022, for a fee reported by The Athletic to be around $10 million.

The Edmond, OK native was Orlando City’s first-round selection with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. As a rookie, he started to see minutes on the pitch during the MLS is Back Tournament, making his professional debut against the Montreal Impact in the competition’s round of 16. From there, the striker out of the University of Virginia blossomed, playing in 35 regular-season matches with Orlando, including 30 starts, for a total of 2,547 minutes. He contributed 18 goals and seven assists on 63 shots, getting 27 on target. He passed well (71.1% in 2020 and 72.1% in 2021), providing 14 key passes. Dike drew 71 fouls while committing 40 and was never booked during the regular season in his time in MLS.

He also played in all three of Orlando City’s playoff games during his first stint with the club, starting all three and scoring one goal on five total shots (two on target). He suffered seven fouls and committed four, and picked up one yellow card in the 2020 postseason.

Following his rookie season, Dike went on loan to Barnsley, where he scored nine goals in 22 matches from February to May of 2021.

Dike’s play with the Lions in his first two professional seasons quickly put him on the USMNT radar and before he was sold to West Brom he made eight appearances and scored three goals for the United States at the senior level. He has added two more caps since for a total of 10.

After his sale to West Brom in the EFL Championship, Dike struggled to stay on the pitch, dealing with Achilles injuries that kept him off the pitch for long stretches. Dike managed to score 11 goals in 68 matches when healthy. He scored twice and added an assist in 24 matches in 2025-2026, starting six times, as he was finally able to get a stretch of games in.

“I’m thrilled to be back where it all started,” Dike said in the club’s press release. “Orlando is where I first got the opportunity to play professionally, and returning here feels like coming home. From the moment I arrived the first time, I felt welcomed, and that same feeling has only grown since I’ve come back. Everyone has been incredibly supportive, and I’m grateful to be back in Orlando.” 

What It Means for Orlando City

Dike fills a hole vacated by the trade of Duncan McGuire to the Houston Dynamo a week ago. It will be interesting to see where his salary slots in when the MLS Players’ Association reveals its next salary information. McGuire, who had his own injury struggles in recent years, made a base salary of $600,000 and a total guaranteed annual compensation of over $920,000.

The hope will be that Dike can both stay healthy and contribute at a higher level than McGuire was prior to his trade to Houston. The new scenery may do McGuire good and a return to familiar surroundings may similarly help Dike regain his footing. At just 26 years old, Dike is still in his prime years and there are plenty of miles left in Dike’s legs if he can stay on the pitch. Fans will remember how he tossed center backs around like rag dolls during his two previous seasons in Orlando. That kind of physicality will open a lot of room underneath for Antoine Griezmann and Martin Ojeda.

With just a year and a half on the base deal, this is a low-risk and potentially very high-reward signing for the Lions.

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Flashback Friday: July 15, 2023 at Atlanta United

Let’s rewind to a tense battle up in Atlanta that took place a little over three years ago.

Published

4 days ago

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July 17, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well everyone, Major League Soccer is officially back. The league returned from its summer hiatus with three games Thursday night (four were scheduled but air quality from the Canadian wildfires caused Chicago vs. Vancouver to be postponed), and two more games are set to be played later today. Orlando City won’t take the field until Wednesday night against the San Jose Earthquakes though, so that means we have time for one more trip down memory lane. Last week, we went four years into the past and reminisced on a weird 1-0 win over Inter Miami that came courtesy of a Damion Lowe own goal. Today, we go back to mid-July 2023 and a road trip against Atlanta United.

Orlando had been in mostly good form heading into the team’s trip up I-75 to take on the Five Stripes but had hit a sizable bump in the road in the previous match in the form of a 4-0 hammering out west against Real Salt Lake. Oscar Pareja went to his usual 4-2-3-1 in an effort to get back to winning ways, with Pedro Gallese in goal; Rafael Santos, Antonio Carlos, Robin Jansson, and Kyle Smith at the back; Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena at the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in attacking midfield, and Duncan McGuire leading the line.

The Lions seemed determined to put the previous game’s woes behind them and fashioned a chance with not even a minute played. McGuire played a slick pass behind the defense for Pereyra, but a poor first touch let him down and Brad Guzan came off his line well to save from point-blank range. Torres, McGuire, and Araujo then tried shots in the fifth, sixth, and eighth minutes, respectively, but none of them troubled Atlanta’s goalkeeper.

Orlando then took its foot off the gas a bit after trying to come out of the gates and overwhelm the hosts, but some self-inflicted errors gave the Five Stripes some life and eventually led to them opening the scoring. The Lions took a poor throw-in during the 22nd minute which turned the ball over deep in their own defensive third. Miguel Berry drew four OCSC players to him before flicking a ball over the top for Machop Chol. Carlos saved Chol’s deflected shot off the line but Caleb Wiley was first to the loose ball and did well to lift his shot into the net over a recovering Gallese.

Fortunately, the good guys were able to find a quick response. Orlando had a dangerous free kick just three minutes after conceding, and Pereyra curled in a dangerous ball toward the penalty spot. Carlos rose highest and powered a vicious header into the far corner with Guzan left helpless.

Leveling the game gave Orlando a needed injection of belief. McGuire tried his luck at catching Guzan off his line in the 35th minute, and Angulo put a powerful shot just outside the post two minutes later. Smith even had a pop from distance in the 42nd minute, but it went high and that was the last meaningful action of the half.

Atlanta ended the opening 45 minutes with more of the ball (52.1%-47.9%) and more corners (2-0), while OCSC took more shots (7-5) put more shots on target (3-2), and passed more accurately (81.3%-78.2%).

The two teams traded chances after a slow start to the second half, with a deflected ball trickling just wide of the Atlanta net in the 51st minute, before Santiago Sosa put a ball onto the roof of Gallese’s goal four minutes later.

Orlando then went ahead in the 60th minute. Pereyra split Atlanta’s center backs with a great ball for McGuire, who held off Luis Abram’s recovery efforts, and put a low shot past Guzan and into the side netting.

The good guys really should have bagged an insurance goal in the 68th minute, but Ramiro Enrique’s diving header went off the post and out after a great cross from Torres. Pareja then switched to five at the back to try to see out the game, and Atlanta managed to generate some chances. Thiago Almada and Matheus Rossetto had chances in the 88th and 90th minutes, but nothing came of them. The most dangerous moment occurred deep in stoppage time. Atlanta had a dangerous free kick in the 98th minute, and Almada sent a wicked-looking effort on net, but Gallese got over well and put two strong hands on it to parry away.

Atlanta took the resulting corner, but the Lions cleared successfully and the final whistle blew to give the visitors a 2-1 win and all three points.

Atlanta finished with more possession (59.2%-40.8%), corners (7-1), and shot attempts (17-10), but each side put four shots on target. The hosts were also more accurate when it came to passing the ball (84%-76.3%).

Marcus Mitchell was on Player Grades for this one, and he gave Carlos the Man of the Match nod with a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Other high scorers on the evening were Pereyra and McGuire, who each earned grades of 7 out of 10.

Here’s hoping the Lions can pick up some road points in a similar fashion when they return to play next Wednesday. Vamos Orlando!

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